Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Board has determined that the veteran's tendonitis of the elbows, bilateral Achilles tendonitis, and degenerative arthritis of the shoulders, cervical spine, and lumbar spine are all service-connected.

The veteran's claims for service connection for pes planus, degenerative arthritis of the shoulders, cervical spine, elbows, wrists, hands, hips, knees and ankles, hypertension, and arteriosclerotic heart disease are all denied as these conditions were not incurred or aggravated by his active military service.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the left wrist. The veteran's claim is being remanded to ensure proper notification and development regarding his other claims.

The VA denied an increased rating for residuals of fracture to the right femur, currently rated at 10 percent disabling. The veteran's hip disabilities are manifested by pain, weakness, giving way, and fatigue; deformity of the proximal femur secondary to healed prior trauma; osteoarthritis of the right hip and right sacroiliac joint; slightly decreased range of motion of the hip joint; slight limping gait with leg in external rotation. The VA found that these symptoms do not warrant a higher rating under applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disorder of the scrotum or osteoarthritis, and thus service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed conditions are not related to his active service and denied all claims for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected disabilities, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for an initial rating increase in excess of the assigned percentages.

The veteran's right and left knee disabilities are currently rated at 20 percent each for instability and subluxation. The RO has granted separate evaluations of 10 percent for degenerative arthritis in both knees, effective May 11, 2001.

The veteran's right ankle disability has been rated as 10 percent disabling since March 28, 1995. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating.

The Board has granted service connection for a left knee condition as secondary to the service-connected left ankle disability. The veteran's degenerative arthritis of the left ankle is also found to be related to his service-connected left ankle disability.

The Board has determined that the appellant's disabilities do not meet the criteria for special monthly pension based on need for aid and attendance or being housebound, as her conditions are not severe enough to require regular assistance or confinement.

The Board granted an increased rating of 30 percent for the veteran's residuals of a right ankle fracture, effective from June 15, 2002. The claim for service connection for a left hip disability as secondary to his service-connected right ankle fracture was also granted.

The VA denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for cervical disc herniation with spondylosis and radiculopathy, and degenerative arthritis of the left knee. The VA found that the veteran's conditions did not warrant a higher rating based on current medical evidence.

The Board found that the veteran's Scheuermann's disease existed prior to service and was not shown to have worsened during service. The current back disorders, including degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine and osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine, were not determined to be related to service or pre-existing conditions.

The veteran's claim for an increased initial evaluation for osteoarthritis of the left knee rated at 10 percent prior to March 4, 2004 and 30 percent thereafter has been denied.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected knee disabilities.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected left knee disability.

The Board denied service connection for osteoarthritis of the left ankle, bilateral shoulders, knees, hands, wrists, elbows, feet, hips, and lumbar spine. The veteran's arthritis was not found to have originated during or within one year after his military service.

The veteran's osteoarthritis of the left great toe and tinnitus have been granted original disability evaluations, with a 30 percent rating for the left foot condition since May 2, 2001.

The Board granted increased ratings of 20 percent for degenerative arthritis of the right knee, residuals of right knee surgery with insufficient ligament, and residuals of right wrist injury with surgery and arthritic change.